


Dark Side Of The Morning

by TheDayWillEnd



Category: Vampire Academy Series - Richelle Mead
Genre: F/M, Fluff and Angst, My First Fanfic
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-04-08
Updated: 2018-04-08
Packaged: 2019-04-20 02:55:55
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,629
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/14251551
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/TheDayWillEnd/pseuds/TheDayWillEnd
Summary: Rose has a nightmare, but it's not her who really needs comforting.





	Dark Side Of The Morning

**Author's Note:**

> Disclaimer: I do not own any of the these characters, or the books, they belong to the brilliant Richelle Mead
> 
> This is my first fanfic, constructive criticism is absolutely welcome

_Rose_

It had been an especially long day, or, night I should say. Despite the elegance and beauty of the room, there really wasn’t much to do, and I couldn’t exactly take a walk either way. With the door securely locked, and a recent bite from Dimitri, I wasn’t going anywhere. So I lay on the bed thinking (if one could call it that in my state) about how this had happened. Oh wait. I know _exactly_ how it happened.

I hesitated.

Stupid, really. One look at him and I froze. It was only for a moment but that didn’t matter. It never does with Strigoi. Strigoi. I could hardly believe it, even now. Those dark eyes ringed in red, made brighter by that sickeningly pale skin. I had hoped to never see him like this. At least not for more than a couple seconds before I ended him, released him from his suffering. Worse yet, he wanted to awaken me. Wanted me to be just like him. Which is why he left me here in this stupidly luxurious room, because I ‘ _needed time to think_ ’. At first I was certain that I would never allow him to change me. But now, all alone, I couldn’t help but consider, even if only a little. One miniscule part of my mind was saying ‘ _Would it really be so bad?’_

Thankfully, a much larger part of my mind was shouting ‘ _Yes! Of course it would!_ ’ and even louder ‘ _What about Lissa? She needs you!_ ’ My slow mind, which had taken nearly an hour just to form these thoughts, was interrupted by the sound of many locks being undone. The door swung open, and lo and behold, there stood the asshole extraordinaire. Nathan. Just what I needed. He stood in the entry, Inna trailing behind him, head down. She looked... meek. Nathan on the other hand, looked part determined, part triumphant. His pale blond hair was dishevelled, like he had been running his hands through it, and his clothes looked like they had been worn for a few days straight. His eyes though... they were bright. I sat up (sort of) and tried to seem awake.

“What are _you_ doing here?” I demanded, hoping I sounded braver than I felt. He moved forward, graceful as a cat, and stopped right at the bed I was still mostly laying on, a vicious grin stretching across his face. “What should have been done when you first arrived,” he snarled. Next thing I knew, his icy hands were around my throat, squeezing, hard. Unable to breathe or really even fight back, I began to panic, clawing at his hands. I could feel my face turning redder and redder as I was deprived of oxygen. ‘ _Worse than an air user.’_ The room began to blur, and I was struck with the realization that I was going to die. Here I was alone with Nathan, and no one was going to save me this time. ‘ _This is it,'_  I thought dispiritedly, ‘ _This is how I, a guardian am going to die. Weak and groggy.’_

I remembered then that I wasn’t even a Guardian. I may have killed many Strigoi, but officially, I was just a Novice.

Then, just as everything started to go black, Nathan’s hands were removed from my throat. Torn away was a more accurate description of the forceful removal. I tried to get up, but all I ended up doing was falling to the floor, gasping and coughing. ‘ _This is definitely going to bruise_ ,’ went through my head almost absently. When my vision finally cleared, I saw Dimitri, holding Nathan up by his neck, whispering something far too quiet for me to hear. ‘ _Not so fun, is it? Karma’s a bitch_ ’ said my mind, with an almost terrible sense of glee. Dimitri finally released Nathan, and he scrambled out of the room, face just as pale as before. Dimitri calmly came over to me, lifting me upright. “Are you okay?” he asked, no real concern for me in his voice. I answered anyway, not having the energy to put on my usual snarky attitude. “I will be. Just need a moment. And maybe a chocolate donut.”

He laughed a bit, and gave me my moment, holding me close as I caught my breath. His skin was cold, like every Strigoi, and it comforted me. My panicked mind slowed, and the events of the last ten minutes or so hit me. I began to cry. I really didn’t want to, but I couldn’t help it. I almost died. That would have been it. I would have never seen Lissa, or gotten to talk to her. I wouldn’t get to bicker with Christian, or flirt with Adrian. And my mother. I wouldn’t have gotten to clash with her ever again. The thought of it was overwhelming, and I cried harder, thinking of Mason, and how despondent he had looked as a ghost, how sad. I think I understood why now, truly.

“ _Shhhh Roza._ I’m here now,” he whispered soothingly to me, rocking me back and forth in his arms. My crying went down a little, and I clutched his torso tightly, afraid to let go. A part of me revolted at being so close to him, but at that moment I didn’t care. “I was so scared,” I rasped, speaking reminding me of the pain in my throat. He held me nearly as tightly as I held him, leaned down toward my ear, and murmured softly, “I’m here now, don’t be afraid. I’ll make everything better.” In one swift movement, he sank his fangs into my throat.

My vision blurred once and I knew that there would be no escape this time.

* * *

* * *

 

 I woke with a start, eyes snapping open, and heart racing. ‘ _A nightmare. Just a nightmare._ ’ Of course it was. Of _course_. Nathan was dead. Dimitri wasn’t Strigoi anymore. He was Dhampir, and he was lying in bed beside me, deep asleep. We were in our apartment, the one we were renting on the Lehigh campus, and most certainly not at Galina’s. I pulled in a deep breath, and let it back out. We were both safe. And yet... I couldn’t fall back asleep. I moved to leave the bed and go for a walk, try to tire myself out again, hopefully enough to fall back asleep. I was just putting on my red slippers when a hand wrapped around my wrist. I shrieked, pulling away, and practically jumped off the bed, when I realized it was just Dimitri.

He let go as if he had been burned, the guilt in his dark brown eyes clear, even with the moon as the only light in the room. He knew about my nightmares, due to my tendency to walk out into the night after one. He had woken up one night to get a glass of water, and found me gone. When I explained to him what had happened, his eyes darkened with the same guilt they had in them now. I wouldn’t run away this time. He moved away, hoping not to frighten me any further, and when I opened my mouth to tell him not to, he spoke before I could start. “I’m sorry, Roza.” He muttered, his voice laden with self loathing. His accent was just noticeable, a light stress on certain words. I loved that accent, and I loved him even more. Which is why I couldn’t let him wallow in remorse. So I told him what I had just thought of him and his accent. He scoffed, just like I knew he would.

“It’s _true_ ,” I insisted. “I love every part of you.” I took his hand in mine, and I felt the tremor run through him.

“How could you? How could you be so forgiving?” I took his other hand and dared to pull him closer. He didn’t resist, though I could tell he wanted to. “Because you’re you. Not a monster, or a killer. You are Dimitri Belikov, best Guardian around, reader of westerns, wearer of dusters, and the love of my life.” He wrapped his arms around me, his body warm, not cold. Never cold again, if I had anything to say about it.

“Thank you,” he choked out. We stayed like that for a couple minutes, and he held me as if he was going to lose me. Eventually he pulled back to look me in the eyes. The guilt was gone at long last, replaced by a light humour. “Best Guardian around?” he asked playfully. “Okay,” I lamented. “Maybe not the best. But you come a close third, after my mother.” “Third, huh. After who else?” he said, pretending to think about it. “Me of course, Comrade,” I replied, as if it were the most obvious thing. He chuckled, the sound deep and relaxed, and I couldn’t help but smile back. He laid back down, pulling me with him.

“We should go back to sleep. It’s time we got used to the new schedule,” Dimitri said seriously, reminding me that we were on a human timetable. With Lissa going to a human university, lots had changed, the schedule being the least of it. I looked over his broad shoulder to glance at the alarm clock. It read 2:26 am. Yes, sleep was a good idea. Didn’t want to be exhausted in the morning. I Rolled over to his side, and his arm wrapped around my waist almost automatically. He spooned me as we both drifted back into oblivion, and my last thought before the call of rest took over was, ‘ _I could get used to this.’_

Together, safe from the horrors of our past, we slept peacefully through the dark side of the morning

**Author's Note:**

> Hope y'all enjoyed it! Sorry for any mistakes.


End file.
